Susie's Homemade spider cake

For today's food for thought friday I'd like to introduce you to Susie's Homemade, a wonderful and fairly new food-related (and garden- and entertaining-related) blog. Though Susie's blogs is heavy on cake decorating, which is my favorite part, she also blogs about gardening, simple suppers, and her entries in Iron Cupcake bake-offs. I had no idea those even existed!

This past week Susie's Homemade featured a spooky and totally yummy spider cake complete with a few eight-legged creatures. It's the perfect cake for those of us with children whose birthdays fall in October (ask me about the guts-filled spider cake I made a few years back...). Along with Susie's Homemade blog, check out Susie's Homemade chocolates on Etsy. Your mouth will water just looking at the pictures of her Peanut Butter Chip Cookie Dough Balls. I just might have to order a few for my birthday in September! --Emily

special gymnastic demonstration by Paulette Huntinova (a.k.a. Paul Hunt)

Though the 2008 Summer Olympics officially ended Sunday night I could not wait until 2012 to share with you a special gymnastics demonstration performed by the famous (at least by YouTube standards) Paulette Huntinova. Though this beam routine originally took place in 1988 it is still generating smiles--and a few laughs--20 years later. Enjoy the video; it's wonderful web wednesday! --Emily

the Love Your Shape Workout

Usually Tuesday are reserved for fashion trend tuesday but blogging about fashion is outside my comfort zone so I'll leave that to LeShan. When she's not posting about the latest style trends I've decided to dedicate Tuesdays to health and fitness, designating it take it off tuesday. (And no, I'm not referring to those new pole dancing fitness classes.)

I enjoy working out and reading health and fitness magazines, so when I stumble across something that sparks my interest I'm going to share it with you. You can read about healthy eating or a new, great ab exercise on Tuesday and then reward yourself for doing all those crunches by making one of our yummy food for thought friday recipes! It's all about rewarding yourself, right?

For our first take it off tuesday I found this great article from Fitness magazine, The Love Your Shape Workout. The article talks about how to "get your best body -- at any size" with a customized cardio and sculpting plan. Here is an excerpt:

This plan tackles your entire package, using the latest thinking from trainers who recognize that when it comes to workouts, one size does not fit all. 'By building up weaker or less developed parts of your body, you'll maximize your natural shape,' says Laura Mak, owner of Mak Attack Fitness in Marina del Rey, California.

To begin you find a body shape that most likely resembles your own: pear, apple or chili pepper (what? no chocolate bar?). Though all three body types follow a similar basic strength workout, each one completes a different number of sets and reps. Throw in a little cardio and you have a new fitness workout tailored just for you!

If even if you're already in great shape sometimes it's nice to change things up a bit. Often you'll discover muscles you never knew you had and your metabolism will get a jump start in the meantime. Of course we should all love our shape no matter how toned it is, but if you're looking to add a little definition to those pear-like curves, read The Love Your Shape Workout from Fitness magazine. Fresh fruit (i.e. a healthy body) is always in season! --Emily

Ladies Who Launch, an invaluable resource for women entrepreneurs

The About Us page of Ladies Who Launch reads:

There are close to 11 million women entrepreneurs in America. Women are launching businesses at twice the rate of men, and they are doing it primarily for lifestyle reasons–they want more freedom, flexibility, and control over their lives. More than ever, women are going out on their own and defining success on their own terms. And where is the place women go to find opportunities and resources when they decide to launch? The multiplatform lifestyle company Ladies Who Launch, THE source for entrepreneurial-minded women who want to live their dreams and love their lives.

I couldn't have described Ladies Who Launch nearly as well so I didn't even try! The site is a truly wonderful resource for women business owners with articles, tools, documents, how-to's, featured "ladies" and even "launchscopes" (business-related horoscopes). I've enjoyed reading about Meredith Vieira (Meredith Vieira Dishes on Leadership, Family, and Her Career Blasts and Blunders) and Jen Groover, the woman behind the Butler Bag and other ventures. (Who knew she found her inspiration from her diswasher?)

Ladies Who Launch even offers regional incubators, groups consisting of "resourceful, inspiring women who each help one another take their projects, businesses, or ideas to a new place." Members meet with their group, complete "homework" and find an "uncommon bond that exists between women traveling down their own path." They say too much information can be a bad thing but not in the case of Ladies Who Launch. The site is a definite "do not miss" mompreneur monday resource. --Emily

olive medly pinwheels & orange-cranberry cake

Today's food for thought friday recipes come from the latest issue of Better Homes & Gardens. They caught my eye while browsing the magazine at the gym, and not just because I was hungry. Both recipes look like perfect dishes for entertaining and both seem fairly simple to prepare. I haven't had a chance to try them yet so if you're able to do so soon, please let us know what you thought! (And thanks, LeShan, for the BH&G subscription!)

Olive Medley Pinwheels
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 10-inch flour tortillas
8 large basil leaves
1/2 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, well-drained and cut in strips

In medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in olives, lemon peel, garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; set aside.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spread olive mixture on each tortilla; arrange basil leaves and sweet pepper strips along center. Roll tortillas parallel with sweet pepper strips. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 2 to 4 hours. To serve, trim off ends of each roll; cut rolls in 1/2-inch slices.


Orange-Cranberry Cake
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
2 T sugar
2 tsp finely shredded orange peel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan; set aside. In bowl stir together flour, oats, baking powder, soda and salt. In large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup sugar; beat until combined. Add eggs; beat until well combined. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beating on low speed after each addition until combined.

Toss cranberries with 2 T sugar; fold into batter with orange peel. Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool on rack. Prepare Orange Glaze; spoon over cooled cake. Let stand until glaze is set.

Orange Glaze
In small bowl combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp finely shredded orange peel. Add 2 to 3 tsp orange juice to make drizzling consistency.

"The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star." -- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Tag a Towel helps bring order to your bathroom

No matter how hard I try or how threatening clever I am, the bathroom my girls share is a disaster. The counter is strewn with toothbrushes, combs and mismatched earrings and the floor is an impressionistic pattern of shirts, pants and bath towels. The girls have become better at keeping the counters clean--the mirror is a hopeless cause at this point--but the floor is another story. When asked to clean up I often hear "but I didn't use that towel" or "I already picked up my towel" (funny how the towel rack is empty no matter the claim). If you hear similar excuses then today's that's hot! thursday is for you.

Tag a Towel is a simple yet effective way to bring a little calm to your bathroom towel chaos. The fashionable magnetic tags snap onto a towel's edge. Everyone has a distinct tag so there's no confusion when it comes to whose towel is whose--and no more lame excuses. Plus Tag a Towel helps prevent the spread of germs because you can keep track of which towel was used to wipe down your snot-covered toddler (dang that preschool!) . Your laundry pile might also feel the effects as family members reuse their own towels rather than pulling a new one from the cupboard after every shower.

Designed by a mom--the best products often are--Tag a Towel is an ingenious way to battle bath towel confusion. Heck, anything that makes it easier for my girls to keep their bathroom clean (and mom's sanity intact) is a must-have product in my book! The site is fairly new so you'll want to sign up for Tag a Towel's newsletter to be notified when they're available. I'm going to be first in line! --Emily

an awesome blog for do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvement

After spending over two years finishing our basement my husband and I can count ourselves among the growing number of do-it-yourselfers. Though we don't care to repeat the adventure any time soon it was a fantastic learning experience. (For example we learned it's not always a good thing if employees at Home Depot know you by your first name.)

If you're into DIY home improvement or would like to get your husband started on a few projects around the home then you need to add Charles and Hudson to your required DIY reading list. The popular do-it-yourself site was started in 2005 by Timothy Dahl, a man whose "early experience with Lincoln Logs and Erector sets have laid a great foundation, not to mention his background at This Old House, Elle Decor, Metropolitan Home, and HOME websites." The site is a fabulous resource featuring the latest tools, techniques, and designs related to home renovation and remodeling.

Recent posts include 8 Tips for Preventing Electrical Fires (always a good thing), Top 5 Home Repair Rip-Offs (make sure that chimney sweep is certified), and The Trouble with Cockroaches (um, they exist?). You can search the site for tips, tricks, products and how-to's or browse by categories. A wealth of DIY info is at your fingertips! As for me, if it takes more effort than replacing a light fixture my fingertips would be searching the online yellow pages for a general contractor... --Emily

Chapter One Organics, fashion with a fresh start

Here is another attempt at a fashion trend tuesday without LeShan. I know, I know, they're a lot less exciting but I do my best! Today I'm featuring a company I reviewed on Monday's Daily Dish, Chapter One Organics.

Jennifer Murphy, a mom and entrepreneur, designs "fun, modern, and organic baby and toddler clothes from sustainable materials," and by providing customers with fashionable, sustainable clothing her company is also creating green jobs for women facing various employment barriers. Murphy is essentially giving both your little ones and women in need a fresh start.

Going green is always in fashion and Chapter One Organics does it beautifully. The clothing line offers tops and bottoms, dresses, rompers, bibs and blankets in super soft organic cotton (made in the USA, fair labor, fair wage). My little L received the Groovy Pink Dress and it's by far one of the softest, grooviest dresses in her closet. I also love the Earthluxe Eggplant Top & Bottoms and Alphabet Soup Romper.

Along with designing sustainable clothing Murphy has also written a book called The Green Eaters. The book portrays five farm animal friends who dream of a better life outside of Dreary Day factory farm. The animals are granted a fresh start when they move to an organic farm. The Green Eaters is a simple yet engaging way for children to learn a little more about organic living, so pick up a copy for your little ones. --Emily

using eBay to drive traffic to your website

One night my husband told me a coworker mentioned a way to use eBay to drive traffic to a website. After failed attempts to connect with this coworker to talk more about it I decided to try and Google my way to an answer.

Come to find out quite a few articles and blog posts have covered this unique--and affordable--method for increasing traffic to your site. I've read through quite a few and here are my three favorites so far. Keep in mind I haven't read them all!

• Use eBay Auctions to Send Traffic to Your Website -- an easy-to-read, brief yet informative article with tips besides the well known About Me page link
• Using eBay to Drive Traffic to Your Web Site -- covers the About Me, image, and more information "tricks"
• eBay Traffic: You Can Get Excellent Directed Traffic... -- not the prettiest page to read but he does give an example or two, which I always find helpful

Here is a YouTube video, "Using eBay to Drive Traffic," showing you how to drive traffic to your site solely using the About Me page. It has both dos and don'ts and I found it easy to follow and especially helpful for people who learn more by watching than by reading. I believe it even showed some great ways to spruce up your About Me page.




I'm currently in the process of setting up an eBay account for our business and will let you know how it goes! And feel free to do your own research. If you come across a fabulous and informative article, please include it in a comment below. Or if you've used this method or know of another one just as effective we'd love to hear about it!

While looking for more info on using eBay for traffic generation I found a ton of other articles and YouTube videos covering other ways to increase your site's traffic, so perhaps we'll feature a few others in a future mompreneur monday. Have a great week! --Emily

enchilada-style burritos and yummy fruit cones

Okay, so burritos and fruit cones don't really have a common theme for today's food for thought friday, but they are both pretty easy and definitely tasty, so we'll go with that! I'm making these burritos for my brother-in-law's birthday this Sunday and serving with a side of cornbread and salad--if we feel we need something healthy. No fruit cones for dessert--it's a birthday dinner so cake and ice cream are in order. With summer almost over you'll definitely want to try the cones before they're replaced with hot chocolate and marshmallows!

Zanny's Enchilada-Style Burritos
2-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 (8 oz) package Zatarain's New Orleans Style Dirty Rice Mix
1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
10 burrito style tortillas
2 (10 oz) cans mild enchilada sauce
1 small can diced olives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice using directions on back of box (minus the meat). Add shredded chicken to rice. Note: this recipe makes a lot of filling so use what you'd like and freeze the rest.

In a 9x13" pan pour a small layer of enchilada sauce. Put 1/2 cup rice mixture and 2 T cheese in the tortilla and roll burrito style. Repeat using all the tortillas. Arrange in pan and top with remaining sauce, cheese and sliced olives. Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes. Top with sour cream (optional).

Optional additions (included in mix): canned green chilies, black beans, refried beans, tomatoes (optional)


Fruit Cone Cups
1 large banana, peeled
4 wafer cones
4 T strawberry yogurt
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/3 cup each blueberries and cantaloupe slices (or mango)
1 kiwi peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp honey
Whip cream

Cut four one-inch pieces of banana and place in bottom of each cone. Drizzle each with about one tablespoon of yogurt. Dice remainder of banana and place in bowl with remaining ingredients and toss. Fill cones with fruit and squirt a little whip cream on top with a blueberry and enjoy!

An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh. --Will Rogers

add a momAgenda planner to your school supplies list

I have been a fan of momAgenda's Desktop Planner since I first reviewed it on Boutique Cafe's Daily Dish in January 2007, and my back-to-school shopping wouldn't be complete without the new 2008-2009 Desktop Planner in their new leopard print. It's a definite fit for today's that's hot! thursday.

momAgenda's Desktop Planner is definitely the cat's meow, and that has less to do with its sassy leopard print and more to do with it's month- and week-at-a-glance pages, spaces for Mom and up to four kids, and a handy little spot at the bottom to plan the week's dinners. The days have enough space to keep Mom as organized as the kids; I can figure out the best time to hit the grocery store whether it's between the orthodontist and piano lessons or a playdate and preschool carpool duty. Plus my kids will only get pancakes once a week if I plan carefully.

The Desktop Planner also offers Mom more than a simple address book. You've got pages full of favorite websites, space for notes on books, movies, music and fashion, vacation and party planning pages. Plus the momEssentials pamphlet (included) comes with space for addresses, medical info, birthdays, websites and passwords. It's the ultimate tool for keeping you and the rest of the family organized and it ought to be on the top of your back-to-school list.

I just discovered momAgenda's chore chart and I'm thinking that needs to be checked off my list as well. I use their babysitter's notepad on a weekly basis (okay, maybe not weekly but I do require a date night at least bi-weekly!) and am thinking their clipboards are too cute to pass up! Make the transition from summer vacation to daily homework a little easier and pick up a Desktop Planner for yourself. You deserve something new for back to school too! --Emily

please pass the ketchup packet!

I'm not even sure how to introduce today's featured site for wonderful web wednesday. Perhaps it needs no introduction, so here goes! You must visit the Condiment Packet Gallery for what is quite possibly the largest collection of condiment packets the world has ever seen, or as the site says "an archive of flexible portion control condiment packets."

From Arby's famous sauce (packet #20) to Miele Praconi honey (packet #616...I think it's in Italian) you'll recognize a few favorites and discover toppings you never knew existed in packet form, or never even knew existed for that matter! Check out the Cheetos Chester ketchup and Disney's Minnie mustard packet. The gallery is up to a total of 724 packets so far.

The collection includes chili and soy sauces, salad dressings and vinegar. Who knew we were missing out on so many mini-me's of the condiment world! Sadly I didn't see a single chocolate sauce packet. Guess I'll have to continue chugging it straight from the bottle. --Emily